It's Only the Beginning
by BananaaPumpkin
Summary: Hannah Barnes finishes the last book in the Harry Potter series, and just can't seem to face the facts that it's all over. However, when an unexpected owl arrives at her bedroom window, she realises that it's not the end.. it's only the beginning.
1. The Letter

'All was well.'

My eyes hovered on that last line, the words ringing inside my head. Tears formed in my tired eyes, drops rolling down my freckled cheek.

No, it can't be. It can't be the last book. I flipped over the next pages, looking for something, anything. Blank pages stared at me in the face, ending the story that I had grown up with. This isn't how it was meant to end, what about Harry, Ron, and Hermione? What about their children? What will become of Hogwarts? The teachers?

My mind raced with unanswered questions, my whole childhood flashing before my eyes. With shaking hands, I gently placed the book onto my bedside table, still open on the last page. I didn't want to shut it; for if I did, it would feel like I was shutting the book on my childhood. Whilst placing the book, my eyes caught the time on my alarm clock. It was 3.54 am - I had been reading the book all night.

I lay down in my bed, unanswered questions running through my mind. I couldn't believe it was over. I got up from my bed and walked over to my window. I opened the window panes, and a strong gush of the midnight air flew into my face. I looked into the darkened horizon, and sighed. There was a world out there, I knew it. It wasn't just words in a book. It was real.

A sudden hoot of an owl came from my right, and I turned my head to find a ruffled-feathered brawny owl looking at me, sitting on the top of the lamppost near my window. Its wide yellow eyes were looking at me intensely.

I turned my head away from the owl, looking out into the darkness. I thought about Hogwarts; and how amazing it would be if I was lucky enough to get sent an acceptance letter this year. I was turning eleven today, and just imagine if an owl came and..

I stopped my thoughts. I slowly turned my head towards the owl to my right. His head twitched from side to side, and it gave another hoot. My eyes dropped down to its talons, and there was an envelope.

I stared at it, not moving. My eyes were fixed on the piece of parchment it was holding. Could it be? Was it?

I shook my head; it must be for somebody else. It couldn't be for me. I pulled my attention away from the envelope, and looked out once more into the distance. I was filled with curiosity and disappointment, not sure which emotion was stronger.

The owl gave a hoot once again, and this time it hopped onto the window ledge. I looked at it with curiosity, whilst it seemed to edge nearer. It's beak nudged my arm, and dropped the letter into my hand.

I looked at it intensely, my finger tracing the blood-red wax seal on the back. I turned over the envelope, my hands shaking with anticipation.

I looked at the owl, who was eyeing me with interest. It kept looking at me, and then at the paper, and back at me again, signalling for me to open it.

My eyes dropped to the envelope which read;

_Miss Hannah __Barnes__  
52b Warwick Street  
London  
SW15 3JY_

I stood there, still. That was my name. That was my address. This letter.. is for me. I couldn't help but dance around the room squealing as I realised that it was my letter. The owl seemed rather taken aback by this, and looked at me with extremely wide eyes as if I was crazy.

I came back to the window, taking a large breath, composing myself. I slit open the top of the envelope and pulled out the letter.

I bit my lip as I unfolded the piece of parchment. It read;

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL__  
__of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY___

_Headmaster:__Proffessor McGonagall__  
__(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,__  
__Supreme Mugwump,__International Confed__. of Wizards)___

_Dear Miss __Hannah __Barnes,___

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at__Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry__. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.__  
__Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.___

_Yours sincerely,___

_Minerva McGonagall__  
__Deputy Headmistress_

I was going to Hogwarts.


	2. Planning The Escape

I held the piece of parchment in my shaking hands, as I tried to process the words in the letter. I was going to Hogwarts. I was magical. I couldn't believe it; it just seemed too good to be true. I walked over to the window, and looked into the distance. I couldn't stop smiling; it was my dream come true.

The owl was still perched on the window sill, still looking at me with wide eyes. I stroked his head with my index finger, and looked out beyond the horizon.

"Thank you." I said to the bird, smiling.

It gave a hoot and flew away into the dark night sky. I watched it as it flew, wings outstretched, returning home to the magical world.

I returned back to my bedroom, not shutting the window, not wanting to exclude the world that I belong in. I placed the letter on my bedside table, and climbed back into bed. My body was rushing with so much excitement, it seemed impossible to even think about sleeping.

I thought about Diagon Alley, shopping for cloaks, wands and animals. I thought about Quidditch, the lessons, the teachers; Professor Mcgonagall, Hagrid and Professor Flitwick. I would soon be meeting them all; I would soon become a Hogwarts student.

My eyes started to droop and I fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about my first year at Hogwarts.

* * *

"Hannah, breakfast!"

I groaned from underneath my warm covers, not wanting to move in the slightest. I opened my eyes slowly, blinded by the pale yellow streaks of light shining through my bedroom window, which was still open from last night.

I reluctantly pushed the bed covers off of my body and sat up. I looked around my bedroom, and my eyes lowered to find the Hogwarts letter, opened and placed carefully on my bedside table. I picked it up carefully, not wanting to crease it or rip it, as this was my ticket to the magical world.

I held it to my chest and breathed in slowly, grinning from ear to ear. I put the envelope in the top drawer of the table, not wanting to tell my parents the news just yet. I wasn't really sure about when or how to tell them that I received a letter from Hogwarts. They'd think I've gone mad, and wouldn't believe me.

I walked downstairs, to a table full of cereal, bread, sausages and eggs. I looked at my parents who were beaming at me. They never did this kind of thing; it was usually just plain toast or cereal. I looked at them again with a confused face, but their expressions hadn't changed, they were smiling and staring at me intently.

I sat down, and grabbed a piece of toast. They came over to me, and I looked at them with curiosity.

"Mum, Dad, what are you doing?" I asked them, eyeing them up and down.

They looked at each other, still smiling, and back at me, as if they had big news to share with me. I thought about this, and I decided that this was probably the best time to tell them about the letter and Hogwarts.

I started, "Mum, Dad, I need to tell you-"

"-We've got some big news to tell you, darling!" My mother interrupted.

"I think you'll be excited!" My dad said.

"But Mum-"

"Shh, dear. Let your father tell you the news!" My mum smiled that creepy smile and looked at Dad.

"Well, we're moving." Dad said.

I looked at them, wide-eyed. My toast dropped from my hand onto the plate. My mum looked at me.

"Isn't that great? We're moving to America!" She said.

I think my heart skipped a beat. America? We're moving to America? I couldn't think straight; this was all going too fast.

"W-w...wh-" I couldn't speak, I couldn't think. America? Couldn't they have asked me first? Asked me if it was alright? To leave my friends? My family? What about Hogwarts?

"I-I can't go with you to America." I said, stuttering.

The smiles on my parents' faces slowly disappeared.

"Well of course you're coming with us!" My mum laughed. "What, did you think that we'd leave you here? Don't be silly! Who would you stay with? Where would you go?" My parents laughed.

"Hogwarts." I said.

They stopped laughing, and turned to look at me. Then they burst out laughing again.

"Hogwarts? That place in the books you read?" My mum said between fits of laughter. "There's no such place, Hannah! It's all made up!"

I got up abruptly from my chair at the table, and left my laughing parents behind. I ran upstairs and stopped in the middle of my room. I was getting out of here.

I dragged my suitcase from underneath my bed, and opened it, and started to empty my drawers into it. I then packed my shoes, hats, scarves and toiletries. I looked around my room, feeling the emptiness of it already. I went over to my shelves and picked up my photo frame of my parents and me. Tears sprang to my eyes, but I forced them back, and threw the frame into my suitcase.

I would have to go later, in the night whilst my parents are asleep. If I were to leave now, they'd never let me go, I'd have to move to America. Besides, I need time to plan.

* * *

From there on, I planned my escape. I would finish my packing, and I would need to pack all the important items like money, my bus pass, my passport and my phone. And of course the letter. I went over to my table and opened the top drawer, to find an empty drawer. I started to rummage around, looking for something, anything. I put my hand into the back of the drawer, fumbling around for the letter frantically, but there was nothing.

I looked around my room, my heart beat rising. I looked on my bed, under the covers, on my shelves, but it was nowhere to be found. My breath rate was starting to increase, my hands shaking. Where else could it be? Who could have-

_No.. They can't.._ I ran downstairs, and into the kitchen to find my mother and father at the kitchen table, looking at something. Looking at a piece of paper.

_No, god please no_.. I thought, my heart beating fast. I walked over to them. Please, don't let it be..

I saw a flicker of the blood red seal, and I think my heart skipped a beat. It was the letter.

The letter from Hogwarts.


	3. Never Coming Back

I stood there, not knowing what to do. I couldn't just take it from them, they'd already read it, it was too late. I wanted the ground to collapse and swallow me, I wanted to turn back time, I wanted to run away and never come back.

The house was so silent, my ragged and uneven breathing the only thing that could be heard. I looked at my parent's faces, fixated on the letter. My letter. They couldn't stop me from going, I was meant to be there.

I cautiously walked over to them. "Mum, Dad, I-"

"You're not going."

I stopped, and stood still. "W-what?"

My mum stood up. "You're not going."

I looked at her. "Well of course I'm going! You can't make me move with you! I won't! I am not going with you!"

"Hannah-!"

"No! I will not let you decide my life!" I picked up the letter. "This is where I'm meant to be! I'm special, I can't stay here! Don't you see? I-"

My father stood up. "Hannah Barnes! You listen to me! I will not have you leaving this family to go to some made up school in your imagination! You are coming with us to America whether you like it or not, young lady!"

I looked at my father, my hands curling into fists. I hated them both so much right now; I never wanted to come back to them ever again.

"This is real!" Tears were rolling down my cheeks. "Hogwarts is real! This is a real letter! This is my chance to be with the people I am meant to be with, people like me! I don't care what you think, or what you say, I am going to Hogwarts!"

My father started, but I ran from the room before he even had a chance. I ran up the stairs, rubbing tears from my face on my sweater sleeve.

I would leave now. I can't stay here anymore. I have to go.

I pulled out my trunk out from underneath my bed, and put on my hoodie. I had some spare cash from my birthday that I had saved up from last year in my trouser pocket. I grabbed my phone and stopped. I looked around my room and sighed. This was the last time I would ever see this place.

I looked at my shelves, feeling the emptiness that was already sinking in. I had to go.

I turned out of the room and walked downstairs, the suitcase bumping and clashing and making a very loud racket.

"Hannah? What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I heard my mother shout.

I left my suitcase at the bottom of the stairs and walked into the kitchen. My parents were still at the table, their faces filled with anger and grief. I snatched the letter from the table in front of them and walked back out into the hallway.

"Hannah! What are you doing? Get back here, young lady!" Shouted my father.

I carried on down the hallway, and slipped on my shoes. My parents ran out of the kitchen.

"Hannah! Get back here this instant!" My father screamed at me.

I looked at them. "I am never coming back here! This is the last place I ever want to go! I hate you both!"

I opened the door, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out. I heard the screams of my parents as I walked down the road. They got fainter and fainter until there was nothing but the sounds of rustling tree leaves and my heavy footsteps to accompany me.


	4. The Knight Bus

The cold wind blew harshly into my tear-streaked face, drying the tears from my red cheeks. My throat was sore and hoarse from the crying, and my body felt numb and stiff. I kept walking, and came to a stop as I realised that this whole plan wasn't going to work at all. I walked over to the pavement, and sat down on the curb, my head in my hands. Why did I leave? My plan was to run away. To where? This whole thing had been a spur of the moment action – an act of the anger I felt for my parents. I hadn't thought this through at all.

I started to cry again, knowing that I couldn't just go back home. Hogwarts was waiting for me. I felt so stupid for leaving home and my parents, without any thought as how I would get to Hogwarts.

I needed to get to a train station, but the nearest station from here is London train station, which from here is about 13 miles. I would have to catch the bus, and then get a ticket for the Hogwarts Express. How would I get a ticket for the Hogwarts Express? The muggles won't know what I'm talking about! I'll have to cross that bridge when I get there. You get to platform 9 and ¾ by running through the wall..

I could do this. I took a bottle of water from my bag, and took a large sip to soothe my throat. I put it back and got up, walking down the lamppost-lit street. The orange lights flickered, the atmosphere dark and sinister.

The leaves on the trees rustled quietly, and a park swing screeched, swaying in the wind. My breath was now visible in the night air, and everything seemed to get much colder. My pace started to get faster, until I turned the corner and found a bus stop. I looked at my phone, the time 2:31 am, and the next bus is at 2:56 am. I sighed and sat down heavily on the cold plastic seat.

I looked at the plastic on the bus stop window, and it seemed to mist up, covered in ice. My hands started to lose heat, and I pulled the sleeves of my sweater over them to keep them warm.

The atmosphere seemed all too familiar, like I had been in this situation before. Something was wrong, something was going on. I tried to rack my brain for answers, knowing that this wasn't right. I felt a cold chill run down my spine, and I felt a ice cold hand hovering over my shoulder. I sat upright, knowing what this was.

I jumped up from my seat, turning around to find a dementor hovering behind my seat. I had nothing to defend myself with – no wand, no sharp objects. I had to just hold him off until the bus came. I walked backwards, with every step, he loomed towards me, and his heavy breathing was all that I could hear. I walked back, my foot tripping back over the curb. I fell back onto the road, trying to move back on my elbows, trying to get back up, but I was too scared and all the feeling had gone in my body. The dementor flew over to me; my heart was beating so loud, I could hear it ringing in my ears. Its skeletal-like hands were outstretched towards me, its mouth opening. I gave a helpless whimper as it started to suck out my soul. There was nothing I could do, I tried to resist, but I was weak. The last thing I saw was yellow lights and a loud beeping noise as I faded away into unconsciousness.

* * *

My head felt heavy and my body was numb. I heard murmurs and a humming. I stirred from my unconsciousness, my eyes barely open, to see lights swaying over me. They started to come into focus, the lights blinding me.

"W-where.. w-w.." I tried to say.

I got chucked from one side to the other, and I was thrown to the ground. I groaned, and pushed myself up groggily from the floor. My eyes were fully open now, looking round to see that I was on some kind of out-of-control transport. There were beds with sleeping people in them, not bothered by the extreme movement of the vehicle.

I tried to get up, but was knocked to my feet. My head was swimming, I felt dizzy. I got up and looked for some sort of way to get down. There were some stairs, and I staggered over to them, grabbing a firm hold of the railing and made my way down each step at a time.

When I got to the bottom, I was yet again flung to the floor by the driver's driving. I looked up to see a smiling man. I got up once again, and looked at him. He was scruffy, with a stubble and his teeth were yellow around the edges.

"W-who are you?" I asked, repulsed by his looks.

He smiled a toothy smile, and I felt my eye twitch at the sight. "I'm Rufus; I filled in for a bloke named Stan. Not sure if you knew 'im." He scratched the hair on his head – I could only imagine what was in that tangled, greasy hair of his.

"Er, I think i've heard of him.." I said, looking him up and down with disgust. "May I ask where I am?"

"Oh, you're on the Knight Bus!" Rufus chuckled.

The Knight Bus! Of course! I smiled, feeling the magic. This must be what I heard before I fainted by the bus stop.

"And where does the Night Bus stop?" I asked him, managing to stay upright from a sharp turn by the bus.

He racked his brain and scratched the stubble on his chin. "It stops at the Leaky Cauldron, are ye gettin' off there?"

"I need to get to Diagon Alley. So yes, the Leaky Cauldron." I said, as there were many things I needed to get on the list that was enclosed with the Hogwarts letter.

"A First Year, eh?" He laughed a throaty cough. "We'll make sure ye get to Diagon Alley, m'love."

"My luggage! I must have left it by the bus stop!" I cried, leaning against a pole.

"Not to worry, I brought it on board when I got you on 'ere afer saving ye from that pesky dementor." He pointed over behind me to my luggage. "See, I'm not just a pretty face!" He laughed, and gave me that toothy smile.

I laughed forcedly. "Thank you, Rufus." I smiled. I liked Rufus, but he wasn't the most appealing person I had ever met.

* * *

It was a good hour before we arrived outside the Leaky Cauldron. It was now 5 am, and it was getting lighter, and I felt safer after the dementor attack.

I paid Rufus for the travel and thanked him for his kindness.

"Thank you so much, Rufus, I would have never made it here by myself. You've been so wonderful. I hope to see you again."

He smiled sheepishly. "It was nothing. Now you go and have a good first year at Hogwarts, love. I wish you all the best."

I smiled, and got off the bus. I had completely judged Rufus wrong. He was so lovely and helpful, I wouldn't be able to repay him - I could have never got to Diagon Alley without him.

I walked into the Leaky Cauldron, surrounded my old witches and wizards who were all staring at me. I walked over to an empty table and sat down quietly. I realised that I had no idea how to get past the brick wall into Diagon Alley. If only...

"Alrigh' there, Robert?" A loud voice came from the other side of the bar. A big looming figure shook hands with a wizard, and he made his way round the bar, accidently bumping into chairs and tables along the way. He looked over in my direction and came over to me.

"Who do we have 'ere then? A First Year?" He said, smiling down at me.

"Hagrid!" I laughed, and got up from the table.

"Professor McGonagall told me that a First Year would be arrivin' 'ere today! Are ye.. Hannah, is it?"

I nodded. "Do you think you could help me get through the brick wall to Diagon Alley? There's a whole list of stuff I have to get."

Hagrid smiled. "Of course, I'm 'ere to help ye! Right, shall we get goin'? We've got lots to get." He led the way, occasionally bumping into chairs because of his huge figure. I couldn't help but suppress a giggle.

We walked outside to the brick wall. Hagrid smiled at me and got out his pink umbrella. He started to tap the bricks in a precise order, and after he has finished, he gave me a mischievous grin. I smiled back, knowing that behind this wall; lay a place full of wizards and witches – my people. I could already feel the magic that was sealed behind the brick wall.

I was interrupted from these thoughts by the sound of the bricks unfolding the pathway, one by one, to unveil Diagon Alley.


	5. The Hogwarts Express

The magic took my breath away. It was unbelievable, I was really here. Women with witches' hats bustled about with their young children, buying owls and cats and various animals. People ran around with their lists, with handfuls of books and potions.

I looked to Hagrid. "Hagrid, this is-is ... it's amazing!"

He looked down to me and chuckled. "Shall we get started then?" He pointed to my list.

I nodded with enthusiasm as he took the list off of me and examined it.

"Well, we need to get ye down to Gringotts, to get ye money."

"Money?" I looked at him. I had no money in Gringotts.

"Hogwarts give muggle-borns a sum of money so that they can get all their equipment. Your parents know nothing of Hogwarts, and could not leave you any money. You get a little sum of money every year to keep you going." Hagrid explained.

"But.. if my parents know nothing of Hogwarts, then how do I go on trips to Hogsmeade?" I sighed, knowing that I couldn't get anyone to sign the permission slip for me. My parents didn't know of this world, and clearly I couldn't go back to them for the holidays.

"You'll have to speak to Professor McGonagall about that." Hagrid gave me a sympathetic look, and carried on down to Gringotts.

Gringotts had been refurbished, after the dragon incident. It was lined with gold, with marble pillars. Goblins lined the hallway, stamping and writing in books, looking up occasionally. We came to the front desk, a busy looking goblin at work.

Hagrid gave a cough, and the goblin looked up slowly and reluctantly.

"Yes?" The goblin said, looking up with a grimacing smile.

Hagrid spoke. "Er, this is Hannah O'Donnell. She's a First Year at Hogwarts. We're here to get some money from her vault."

My vault! I have a vault in Gringotts! I couldn't help but smile at the thought.

The goblin peered over his desk to see me, and examined me with beady eyes. "The key?" He asked Hagrid, and outstretched his bony fingers.

"Oh, yes.. it's here somewhere.." He fumbled about in his pocket in his coat. He turned out things like paperclips, pieces of tissue and parchment, before taking out a little gold key. He handed it over to the goblin, and he examined it closely, turning it around in his palm. He nodded to Hagrid, and got off from his stool and led the way behind him through a large door. I followed Hagrid with curiosity.

We came to a little cart, which we all clambered into. I was shaking with excitement and fear, knowing that this little cart goes upside down and all over the place. It took off at high speed, changing directions almost every second.

The cart slowed down outside vault 738. This must be my vault. I got out, and stumbled about, trying to find my balance. I felt sick and dizzy, but I was too excited to care. The goblin placed his hand on the door, triggering some sort of lock from the inside. He then inserted the key into a golden lock, and turned it three times to the right. The door unlocked and opened slowly, revealing a glow of gold from the inside.

I walked into my vault, and to my amazement, there were hundreds of golden coins glistening proudly. I turned to Hagrid, my mouth open with shock.

"This.. this is mine..?"

Hagrid nodded. "500 Galleons. Professor McGonagall must think a lot of you."

I turned back to the coins, my heart racing. This was unbelievable. This was all mine. All of it. My parents would have never given me this much.

We took 100 Galleons from my vault, and walked back out to the village. Hagrid looked at my list.

"We need to get you a wand, first of all. You can find that in Ollivanders."

"Aren't you coming?" I asked him, as he started to walk away.

He turned to me. "I've got some stuff to do of me own, but after you've got ye wand, I'll meet you outside."

I made my way through crowds of rushing people, occasionally getting hit by a cauldron or a book. I saw a shop with animals outside it; owls, cats and toads were sitting patiently in cages. I walked up to a brown barn owl; it was beautiful. It looked back at me with large black eyes inside the cage. I would come back and purchase this owl, but I had to go and get a wand first and then meet Hagrid outside Ollivanders.

I continued walking down the street, looking at each name of the shops until I eventually got to Ollivanders. I looked through the glass windows, and saw an old man at a desk. I pushed the door open, and a bell tinkled as I walked in. The frail old man looked at me and smiled.

"Ollivander?" I asked him.

He looked at me. "Yes," He coughed and sputtered. He was clearly not in a very good condition. "Are you here for a wand?"

I nodded, worried by his state. He nodded and walked over to his numerous amounts of shelves and pulled out a box from one of them. He came over to me, and placed the wand in my outstretched hands. I looked at it in awe.

"This is a 10 ½ willow and dragon heartstring." He said, smiling.

I grasped it and I felt a gush of magic power through my body. I smiled at Ollivander, who smiled back at me, his wrinkled face tired with fatigue.

I paid him and thanked him for his kindness, and left the store with my wand. I looked around for Hagrid, who was on the opposite side of the street with the brown barn owl that I saw earlier. I ran over to him, and hugged him.

"Oh, Hagrid! He's beautiful! Thank you so much!" I took the bird from him and the owl looked at me with happy black eyes.

"It was a present from me, don't worry about it." Hagrid smiled, and patted me on the back. "We need to go to Flourish and Blott's to get ye books for First Year now." He said, and led me into a large bookstore.

There was a whole list of books that was required for my first year at Hogwarts, such as 'The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)', 'A History of Magic', and 'One Thousand Magical Herbs'. I paid for all the books that were needed, and then I had to go over to get my robes fitted.

Many other students were in there getting their robes fitted, and I talked to a girl whose name was Abi.

"Hello, my name's Abi!" The girl said. She had dark brown eyes and dark brown hair, and wore it in a scraped-back ponytail. She was taller than me, and her hand was outstretched as a greeting.

I shook it, and smiled. "I'm Hannah; it's nice to meet you! Are you a First Year too?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'm just getting my robes fitted. I'm here with my mother." She gestured behind her to a tall woman with the same black hair, who was talking to the woman behind the counter. "Are you here with your parents?"

"No, my parents aren't witches or wizards. I'm a muggle-born." I shrugged. I saw Hagrid who gave me a signal as to come over. "I have to go now, but hopefully we'll meet up again!"

Abi smiled. "I'll try and find you on the train, and then we can sit next to each other." She waved to me as I walked off to Hagrid.

We went into various shops after that, picking up items such as a cauldron, a set of glass phials, a telescope and a set of brass scales.

We walked past a shop with broomsticks being shown in the window. I stopped and looked at them, wondering if I was good enough to play Quidditch.

"First Years aren't allowed their own broomsticks," Hagrid patted me on the shoulder. "We'd better get ye to the train station."

Hagrid and I walked to the London train station, and as we walked past, we got strange looks our way by passing by muggles. Hagrid stopped between platforms 9 and 10.

"Just run straight into that there wall, and then use ye ticket to get on the Express." Hagrid said.

"But Hagrid, I don't have a ticket!" I said.

He looked at me, confused, but then he fumbled around in his pocket for something. He brought out a slightly crumbled train ticket.

"Sorry it's a bit crumpled, I may have sat on it at some point."

I smiled, and took it from him. "Thanks, Hagrid."

"See ye at Hogwarts!" He walked off and gave me a wave.

I looked at the time the Express left, which was at 9am. I looked at the time on the clock – 8.43am. I then looked at the wall in front of me. I positioned myself in from of it, wondering if this really was the way to go. It seemed so simple, yet I was frightened by the fact that it was just a plain brick wall.

I took a deep breath and began to run at the wall. It got closer and closer, and I was expecting to crash into the wall and knock myself out, but I felt nothing. I heard a gush of wind go past my ears, and slowed down. A hoot of a train made me open my eyes, and I found myself on platform 9 and ¾. A massive grin grew across my face. This was it. I was here. I had made it.

Children with trolleys filled up the platform. I went over to a man who was putting away luggage.

"Excuse me, but can you put my luggage on the train?" I asked him.

He smiled. "Of course, leave your trolley with me, and I'll make sure it gets on the train, you just hop on."

He took my trolley, and I found an officer to show my ticket to. He punctured a hole in it and let me on board.

Children were all over the train, finding seats to sit in with their friends. I heard someone shouting my name, and I looked behind me.

"Hannah!" Abi shouted. She came running towards me down the train. "I've been looking for you everywhere! I've got some seats for us!" She led me down the long corridor, past several booths where all kinds of students were laughing and sharing their holiday news. Abi showed me into an empty booth and we both sat down near the window.

"I'm so glad I found you," I said. "I didn't think I would know anyone on the first day." I was relieved to have found a friend, so I wouldn't feel so alone.

"Me too!" Abi said.

We talked about the teachers and the classes at Hogwarts. Time seemed to fly by with all the excitement.

".. I wonder what house I'll be in! It's going to be so excit-" Abi got cut off as there was a knock on the door window. Two girls looked in and smiled.

"Hi, do you think we could sit with you two? There isn't any room anywhere else." Said a brown haired girl. The other was a blonde girl, who was shorter than the other.

"Of course." Me and Abi said. They came and sat down, grateful.

"I'm Tiffany, by the way." Said the brown haired girl.

"And I'm Tilly. It's nice to meet you both." Said the blonde haired girl.

We all shook hands and continued to talk about Hogwarts. The train gave a hoot and it pulled away from the station. Tilly, Tiffany and Abi all waved to their parents. I felt a little disheartened by this, not having anyone to wave to, but I had my new friends, and I was on my way to Hogwarts.


	6. Hogwarts

The Hogwarts Express rattled along the railway, along a brick bridge and across a vast lake. The reflection of the train in the water of the lake was a blur of black and red, racing across the waves. I looked in awe at the birds, flying gracefully along beside us, their wings flapping gently in the cool breeze.

A voice pulled my attention away from the birds.

"Candy from the trolley, my dears?" Said an elderly woman in a pink pinafore, pushing a loaded cart full of various sweets and chocolates. All sorts of mysterious and colourful packaging lined the trolley, and I could have sworn I saw a lollipop packet that said 'Blood Flavoured Lollipop'. I gulped at the thought.

My new friends got up from their seats and brought some snacks for the rest of the journey, nearly buying everything on the trolley. When they realised that I had not gotten up, they looked at me with confusion.

"Aren't you going to buy anything, Hannah?" Asked Tiffany.

"Oh!" I had forgotten that I had an allowance from Hogwarts. I joined them and used some Sickles to buy myself a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

"I'd be careful with those," Tilly warned me, as she sat down, seeing that I was opening the box. "You may think you have a nice-tasting flavoured one, and then you realise that it's actually vomit flavoured or something."

"Oh, I'm sure it will be fine.." I said, carelessly popping an orange coloured bean into my mouth. I chewed it for a while, tasting its peculiar flavour, realising that in fact, the bean that I was chewing was the flavour of earwax. I swallowed it whole, in an attempt to rid my mouth of the horrible taste. Why would people even think to make these? I put the box down on the seat, not wanting to try my luck with another.

"Here." Tiffany handed me a sparkly yellow sweet.

I held it in my hand apprehensively after the earwax-flavoured sweet I had just encountered. It was a little yellow chunk, surrounded by what seemed to be some kind of sugar coating. It looked delicious, but I had thought the same thing about the earwax bean. "What is it?"

"It's crystallised pineapple," She said. "To get rid of the earwax taste."

I smiled at her, and sucked on the sweet, which was a lot nicer than the bean I encountered earlier. "Thank you." I said.

"It shouldn't be long now," Abi said, looking out of the window. "I think we're nearly there."

"I can't wait to see the towers!" Tiffany squealed, her hands clapping together with excitement.

I felt a rush of exhilaration run through me, as I watched the top of the mountains intently. I looked for the signs of the top of the towers, my face squashed against the window. Tiffany, Tilly and Abi did the same, all wanting to get a glimpse of the magnificent castle as soon as it emerged.

"Look!" Tilly shouted, pointing to the top of the mountains. There, at the top of the mountains, was the top of the topmost tower, revealing itself to us. As the mountains started to decrease in size, and as the train was getting closer, more and more of the castle came into view. I felt the carriage tip slightly over to the side of the window as everyone clambered over to look at Hogwarts Castle. People gasped in awe at the sight of it, wanting to look at it forever.

"Its.." Tilly started, losing her speech. "I.. It's just so.."

"I can't believe I'm actually here.." I said, pressing my hands harder to the window. The castle was now in full-view, its numerous amounts of towers nearly touching the clouds. It just seemed too real and too magical to be here, like it was all a dream.

"I think we'd better go and get changed." Tilly said. I didn't want to leave the window, I wanted to stay and just look at it, but she pulled me by my arm and all four of us went off to get changed into our robes.

...

The train came to a halt as we pulled on our robes. I felt a tingle as I slipped it on, a step closer to the magic.

"Come on! Let's go!" Tiffany squealed and grabbed my hand as we walked off of the Hogwarts Express and onto the platform. Lanterns lit up the platform as students stepped off from the Express. Children chatted quietly in small groups, as a great big figure lumbered towards us in the dark, carrying a flickering, glowing lantern.

"Who's that?" Abi said.

I tried to make out the figure, but it was impossible to decipher who it was until he stepped into the light of the lanterns.

"Hagrid!" I shouted, running over to him.

"Alrigh' there, Hannah?" Hagrid smiled, and gave me a very hard pat on the back. He looked at my friends, who stood behind me, somewhat scared and apprehensive.

"It's alright, guys, this is Hagrid. He helped me get here to Hogwarts." I said, wincing as I rubbed my back.

They all gave a nervous wave to Hagrid, intimidated.

"Hagrid, this is Tiffany, Tilly and Abi." I introduced them, pointing to them one by one.

"Alrigh' there? Welcome to Hogwarts!" Hagrid smiled. He turned to the whole group of students. "I'm Hagrid, I'm the Groundskeeper here at Hogwarts, and the Keeper of Keys. Also I'm a professor in the Care of Magical Creatures. Now, enough about me, come along, and we'll get you inside. Come on.." Hagrid ushered us along a short pathway to dozens of lantern-lit boats floating peacefully at the side of a giant lake.

"So we just get in, then?" I asked Abi.

"I guess," Abi shrugged. "I think they take us to the other side of the lake."

"Fours and no more in one boat, please!" Hagrid said, as Tiffany, Tilly, Abi and I clambered into a boat. On no command, our boat started to glide slowly through the water, as did several others. We grasped onto the sides of the wooden boat for stability, not sure if we liked the boats having a mind of their own. I looked up at the castle, hundreds of windows glowing brightly, reflected in the water.

"It's so magical.." Tilly said, looking across at the magnificent castle.

I looked behind us to see a trail of glowing lanterns on the lake, gliding smoothly along in the water. It looked like hundreds of glow bugs in the air, floating in the gentle night breeze.

The boat came to a halt on the other side of the lake, and all four of us got out and waited for Hagrid's next order. He came stomping up to us, with his massive giant feet plundering the ground. "Alrigh' you lot, this way to the castle!" Hagrid shouted. I looked behind us, realising how many of us there was here. It seemed as though we were all First Years.

We walked up a dirt road towards the castle, and walked through some tall iron gates. Behind us, as the last of the group walked through, a frail old man sealed the gates with his withered old wand. He looked at least eighty, his beard long, thin and white, and there was wrinkles by his eyes. He was hunched over, and wore long, dark, navy wizard robes. A small glow of the brightest blue ran up the gates as he waved his wand shakily, locking us in, and whatever lied out there, was hopefully locked out. I looked at him curiously, as he stumbled back to his little wooden rocking chair. I wanted to go and talk to him for some strange reason, but Tilly pulled on my arm to lead me away. Maybe I'd get a chance to talk to him sometime later on in the year.

The cold started to get to us under our thin robes, and when we finally reached the tall, wooden castle gates, we were all shivering and huddled together. Hagrid pushed open the doors with his giant hands and led us into the castle.

I had never seen any place so big – it was enormous, even if it was just one section of the castle. There were marble staircases leading up to various parts of the castle, somewhere where I would explore at a later date. I heard a murmuring from somewhere, and I looked around, trying to figure out the noise. I wandered over to a painting, and to my shock, realised that it was moving, and the murmuring was coming from the painting.

"Guys!" I shouted over to my friends, signalling for them to come over. "Come and look at this!"

They hurried over and gasped as they saw too, that indeed the picture was in fact, in some way, alive.

"It's not just me, is it? The picture _is _actually moving, right?" I asked them, unsure if I was just seeing things.

"You're not seeing things," A girl came up behind us, smiling. We turned to her.

"The paintings are actually moving, yes. It's no trick of the mind, but it _is _magic!" She giggled, and flicked her hair over her shoulder. She saw us looking at her bewildered, and shook her head. "Oh! I'm sorry – my name's Florence. I'm a first year too – it's nice to meet you all."

We shared names and I decided that I liked this girl. Florence had light, blonde hair, which lay on her back. She had bright blue eyes and pale, fair skin. She came back to the group with us, having no-one else to stand with, seeing as everyone else had made their own separate groups.

A woman walked into the room. She wore emerald-green robes and a matching witches' hat that had some sort of a bird's feather attached onto the side.

"Good evening, First Years." She had a very posh voice and structure, and eyed us all intently. "My name is Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress here at Hogwarts. Through these doors, lies the Great Hall. In there, you will be sorted one by one into your Houses by the Sorting Hat. There are four Houses at Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin. Then, once sorted, you will go to your House table, and will sit with your peers. Now, if you will follow me.." She turned to the doors and opened them, and we followed her in a line into the Great Hall.


	7. The Sorting

It was the most breathtaking room I had ever seen. Floating candles hovered above us, the ceiling a mist of blue and grey clouds. Four tables lined the hall for each of the four houses, full of students watching us, and a fifth table was at the front of the hall for the teachers.

We were asked to stop by Professor McGonagall as she spoke to the whole school.

"Welcome, all of you, to another year at Hogwarts. As you know, at the start of every year, First Years will join the school, and will get sorted into the houses." She addressed them. "We shall begin." She unrolled a scroll, and as she did, the whole group of First Years took a breath in and stood tense. She called out the first name from the list. 'Florence Robinson?"

Florence skipped up to her, and sat down lightly in a wooden stool. An old leather hat was placed on her head. The Sorting Hat.

"AH!" The hat exclaimed. We all jumped, apart from Florence, who was humming to herself, looking up at the hat with a smile. "Florence.. I know where you'll fit right in! HUFFLEPUFF!" Florence smiled, and the Hufflepuff table cheered for her as she sat down on their table.

"Jake Burlow?"

A tall boy, with spectacles and brown hair made his way through the crowd. He sheepishly sat down on the stool.

"This is an easy one.. RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted, and the Ravenclaw table clapped for him. He gave a small side-smirk, and strode over to the table lined with blue.

Another few First Years were called up to the stool. The group was getting smaller and smaller, and I knew my turn to go up would soon come.

McGonagall looked on her scroll. "Jasmine Miller?"

A tall, thin, smug little girl walked up to the stool. She sat down, and her eyes flickered towards me. Her eyes we a dark, emerald green and they examined me closely. I didn't like the look of her, and as the hat put her in Slytherin, I decided not to get too friendly with her.

"Tiffany Clay?" McGonagall called out.

Tiffany looked at me and walked up towards the stool, and sat down, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She looked rather nervous being at the front of hundreds of people, and jumped frightfully and squealed when the hat started to speak.

When the hat sorted her into Ravenclaw, I wanted so badly to be sorted into that House too. I didn't want to be on my own without anyone that I knew.

McGonagall looked at her list of remaining names and peered over the top of it. Her gaze met mine and I knew whose turn it was next. Mine.

"Hannah Barnes?"

I jumped at my name and walked up towards her. I looked at her and she gave me a nod towards the stool. I turned around and sat down on it slowly, watching everyone's eyes watching me. I sat upright stiffly, uncomfortable with the hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at me. The Sorting Hat was placed on my head, and I shut my eyes tightly, wishing to be in Ravenclaw.

"Aha! So.. you want to be in Ravenclaw, do you?" The Hat said.

_Please put me in Ravenclaw, please put me in Ravenclaw.._

"Surely you'd much prefer to be in Gryffindor? You'd become a champion, a strong, willing competitor!"

_Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor! Ravenclaw!_

"Well, if you're sure.."

_Please.. please put me in Ravenclaw.._

The hat took a deep breath before announcing it's choice.

"RAVENCLAW!"

I opened my eyes and exhaled a big sigh of relief, a massive grin spreading on my face. I jumped up from the stool and ran over to the Ravenclaw table that were cheering and applauding loudly, and where Tiffany was waiting for me. She jumped up and hugged me tight.

"I'm so happy you're with me! I thought I was going to be on my own and you guys would be in another house.. I'm so happy!"

I hugged her back tighter, pleased to have a friend with me. I sat down next to her, and opposite the boy who got sorted earlier. I turned to watch the other First Years get sorted. First it was Abi, who was sorted into Hufflepuff with Florence, then Tilly, who was also sorted into Ravenclaw. As she came running over to us, we stood up and greeted her happily. She sat with us and watched as several others nervously took to the stool.

A tall boy was next, his hair was sandy-brown, and he looked rather nervous when he took his place on the stool at the front of the stool. He was placed in Ravenclaw with us, and as we applauded him, he sat down next to the boy opposite me, his eyes flickering to me for a second. I didn't manage to catch his name when Professor McGonagall called it out.

Another couple of boys were sorted after him; a couple went into Gryffindor, one in Slytherin, and another in Hufflepuff. The last remaining First Years were sorted, and the hall fell silent once it was over. Professor McGonagall began to speak once again.

"Now it is time for the feast." She said, and with a slight movement of her hands, a whole table of meat, potatoes, fish, vegetables and everything you could think of appeared in front of us. We sat there, awed by this magnificent spread of food, whilst the older students smiled at us and served food onto their plates. We piled our plates high of everything we could get, and started to eat.


	8. A Magnificent Feast

The food was delicious; I had never tasted anything so good. I even had a second helping of roast potatoes. The children spoke loudly and laughed with the people on their tables, the whole room filling up with laughter.

"So," Jake said, the boy who was sorted earlier. "I'm Jake; it's nice to meet you."

Tiffany shook hands with him over the table, nearly spilling her drink.

"Hi, I'm Tiffany." She said, smiling.

"And I'm Hannah," I said, giving a small wave. "It's nice to meet you too."

We all waited expectantly for the other boy to say something, but he just looked at Jake and Tiffany, and then me, and went back to eating his meal. I thought this rather rude and a bit odd, and so I kept talking to Jake and Tiffany.

"Did you get any pets in Diagon Alley?" I asked them, popping a roast potato into my mouth. It was the best potato I had ever tasted; we never got food like this back at home.

Jake nodded. "Yeah, I got an owl! His name is Zeus!" He said, grinning. He looked very proud of the name that he had chosen. "Did you get an animal?"

"I got a black cat," Said Tiffany, clapping her hands together in delight. "His name is Riley!" She giggled, sticking her fork into around her tenth roast potato. "What about you, Hannah? Did you get anything?"

I nodded, trying to swallow a piece of turkey. "Hagrid brought me a barn owl!" I said finally, after managing to swallow the delicious slice of meat. "He's called Bartholomew. What? What's so funny?" I said, looking at both Tiffany and Jake as they giggled to each other. I even saw a grin spreading on the other boy's face.

"Did you get an animal?" I said to the boy who was sat next to Jake. He looked up from his dinner, surprised that I had spoken to him. Tiffany and Jake fell silent and looked at him expectantly.

"Er, yeah, I did," He said, turning towards us shyly. "I got an owl too – his name is Pippin." He smiled. I smiled back at him, glad that he could feel as though he could talk to us.

We heard a couple of clinks on a glass, and everyone in the hall fell silent, as Professor McGonagall stood up at the front of the hall. She cleared her throat as she began to speak.

"We have a couple of new teachers here with us this year," She started, projecting her voice throughout the room. "The tragic death of Albus Dumbledore has left me as Headmistress, and I will no longer be able to teach Transfiguration." There were moans from students around the hall. "I would like to introduce our new Transfiguration teacher, Mr Allanon Arsenius!"

As we clapped, a short and stout fellow rose from his table, although it looked as if he was still sitting, as he was so small. He had a large round belly, and a yellowish beard and moustache. He wore a matching suit, and a tweed jacket that was buttoned across his waist, and it looked as though the buttons were about to burst any second. He was very pink in the face, and sat down very quickly after taking a small nod of his head.

"We also have another teacher this year," Continued Professor McGonagall, after waiting for the noise to die down. "Last year, our Potions teacher, Mr Severus Snape, was killed."

"Wow," Jake turned to us and whispered. "A lot of people have died here." We nodded, and looked back at McGonagall, who was still talking about Snape's death. Suddenly, I didn't feel safe at all.

"..We had another teacher, Professor Slughorn, but he left due to circumstances that we will not go into today. The death of Albus affected him in the worst possible ways, and so we advised him to take a break from teaching. So, please give a warm welcome to our new Potions teacher, Loxius Raistlin!"

A very tall and slim man slowly rose from his chair. He carried the same dark, toneless features that Snape once had. He wore black clothes, making his features even more distinguished. He looked around at us all clapping unenthusiastically, his facial expressions not changing at all. He did the tiniest nod of his head before returning to his seat.

"Our last teacher has accepted our request for a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher on very short notice, and so I would like to welcome Professor Nora Knoxburn!"

A slim, tall woman stood up elegantly from her seat at the teacher's table. She wore an emerald green dress and robe, which trailed down to the floor. Jake sighed and propped his head on his hand as he looked at her in awe. Tiffany and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Jake," I said, nudging him with my elbow. "She's way out of your league."

Jake looked at me and stuck his tongue out at me, and I did the same back, smirking.

"Please return to your meal. Afterwards, you will be sent to your common rooms, and First Years, please follow your Head Boy."

We returned to our meals, which was still piping hot. We looked at the food in the bowls, and to our astonishment, they had been refilled with more delicious food. Jake served himself at least six more roast potatoes, as did the other boy.

"Waste not, want not!" Jake said, winking at me with a mouthful of potato. Tiffany and I were helping ourselves to more turkey and chicken.

"Who's our-" Tiffany said, trying to swallow a mouthful of meat."- Head Boy?" We looked up and down the long table, trying to find the Head Boy of Ravenclaw.

"That would be me," Said a voice not too far from where we were sitting. We looked along the table to see a tall, lanky boy smiling and waving at us. "I'm William, Head Boy of Ravenclaw. It's nice to have some new faces at the table!"

We introduced ourselves to William, and carried on eating our dinner. After we had finally cleaned our whole plates, and there was no more food left to be seen, we exhaled a large breath.

"That-" Jake started, before burping. "-was the best!"

"I've never been this full in my life!" I laughed, rubbing my stomach.

"Do we get to eat like this every night?" The boy next to Jake laughed, and we joined in, before stopping because it hurt our stomachs to laugh after eating the feast.

"Your attention please?" Professor McGonagall's voice was heard above the chatter. We fell silent. "It seemed like you all enjoyed the feast?" Satisfied moans and groans were heard from around the room, everyone talking about the delicious spread. McGonagall put her hand up for silence. "Your Head Boy will take you back to your common rooms. You will find both the Girls' and Boys' dorms on the staircase leading up from the common room. There, you will find your belongings by your bed. Girls' and Boys' dorms are separate.." She said, looking around at us all with a quizzical look over her spectacles before continuing. "Head Boys, please lead off your houses."

And with that, we rose from our seats and followed William out of the Great Hall and into a long corridor, full with students trailing sluggishly back to their common rooms, after the most magnificent spread we had ever tasted.


	9. Ravenclaw Common Room

We were hurried along endless torch-lit corridors by William, who was shouting at us to hurry up. Paintings that hung on the wall moved magically, wizards and witches peering at us with interest. I could hear them muttering to themselves about us, moaning about the noise that we were making as we chatted excitedly to one another.

We came out of the corridor and into a very tall and large area. I looked up, and to my astonishment, several marble staircases moved to different platforms right above our heads. I heard the rest of the Ravenclaw House gasp in awe.

"Quickly now, First Years! You will have plenty of time to explore the castle another time! Come on, Jake, don't poke the paintings, they don't like it! Come on!" William shouted, grabbing the curious Jake on the arm and hauling him away onto a staircase. Several others clambered on, and grasped the rail tightly, scared of falling off. The staircase began to move, and the kids let out a scream or a yelp, holding onto whatever they could find. The other First Years and I had to wait for the staircase to come back after the first group had gotten off the stairs at the next floor platform. The staircase started to move back towards us, and we clambered on, Tiffany and the boy who we were talking to with me, holding on tightly to the rail. The stairs gave a jolt and started to move, and I gave a small shriek, as did Tiffany. I looked over the edge, which I probably shouldn't have, and saw the bottom floor looming below. I felt my stomach churn a little for I wasn't wildly keen on heights.

The staircase came to a stop and the rest of us managed to reach the others without throwing up all over them. William showed us down more corridors, and I was shocked to see a ghost emerge through a wall. We all stopped, scared and amazed at the same time.

"Good evening, William! Taking First Years to their common room, I see?" Said the ghost, nodding in our direction. "Welcome, young ones, to Hogwarts! I am Sir Nicholas, ghost of the Gryffindor House! It's lovely to meet you all!" And with that, he floated away and straight through the opposite wall. We were stunned, not knowing what to say or do. William just kept us moving along, until we finally reached a long winding staircase up a tower. We followed him up and up, and found that at the top of the staircase there was a large grand door. The door, however, had no doorknob or a keyhole, but a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. William turned to us.

"In order to enter the Ravenclaw common room, you must answer a riddle asked by the eagle knocker. If you answer incorrectly, you must wait for someone else to get it right." He said, smiling. "I'm sure you can all work out the riddles. You've been put into Ravenclaw, which means that you are all of somewhat higher intelligence than others. Let's hear the riddle and see if we can work it out."

William used the eagle to knock on the door three times, and waited for the riddle to be spoken.

"_What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a bed but doesn't sleep, has a head but never weeps?"_ Asked the eagle, in a loud, booming voice.

William turned to us, expectantly. Jake and the other boy walked over to where Tiffany and I were standing.

"What is it? Do you know?" Jake asked.

"..what can run but never walks..." The other boy said, thinking to himself.

Tiffany just shook her head. "I have no idea. Hannah, have you got anything?"

I racked my brains, thinking hard. _What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a bed but doesn't sleep, has a head but never weeps.._ _a river!_

"A river!" I shouted, not realising how loud it was.

"Excellent! A river! Yes! Well done, Hannah!" Said William, patting me on the back. My friends smiled at me, congratulating me on completing the riddle.

"Look! The door is opening!" Tiffany squealed, clapping her hands and jumping up and down on the spot. I looked over her shoulder, and she was right; the door to the Ravenclaw common room was slowly opening.

We all flooded into the large room, and gasped in awe as we looked at it for the first time. It was a wide, circular room, with a midnight blue carpet, arched windows hung with blue and bronze silks, and a domed ceiling painted with stars. The room was furnished with tables, chairs and bookcases: and by the door leading up to the dormitories, there stood a tall statue of a woman made of white marble.

"William," I said, beckoning him over. "Who's this?"

He chuckled and gestured to the statue. "That is Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the founders of Hogwarts, along with Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. As well as that, she is the namesake of the Ravenclaw House."

"What happened to her?" I asked, curiosity taking over me. That was one of my bad habits, I always wanted an adventure, and was always curious and nosey where I shouldn't be.

"She died sometime into the eleventh century, after she fell fatally ill. Legend had it that a broken heart is the cause – because her daughter, Helena, had run away with her diadem."

"Her diadem?" I questioned, looking at William, who nodded.

"Her diadem was the only known relic once belonging to Rowena. Etched upon its surface was Ravenclaw's famous quote: 'Wit-"

"-Beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure." I said, interrupting him, and looking back at the statue. "I remember now. I read about it in a book, back at home. It was said to enhance the wisdom of its wearer, which is Ravenclaw House's most treasured attribute." I looked back to William, who laughed.

"The diadem had a blue sapphire shaped like an oval. The diadem was later stolen by her daughter, Helena, a fact that Rowena kept a secret from the other founders until her death bed."

"But the diadem was destroyed, wasn't it? By Harry, Ron and Hermione?" I said.

"That is true, yes. The diadem was one of the Horcruxes that Lord Voldemort used to keep him alive. But it is destroyed now, and he has no way of returning." Said William, patting my shoulder.

William turned back to the other students. "Right, First Years! I will now show you to the dormitories, and you will have some time before curfew to get settled. The dormitories are up the stairs, girls to the right, boys to the left. Quickly!" He clapped his hands in haste, and we all clambered up the stair case. Tiffany and I entered the door on the right, which was labelled 'Girls' and Jake and the other boys entered the opposite one which was labelled 'Boys'.

There were several four-poster beds, each covered in sky blue silk eiderdowns, and our trunks were waiting at the foot of the beds. I found my trunk, and was happy to find that Tiffany's bed was next to mine. I jumped on my bed, and lay flat on my back, breathing out a deep sigh. This was where I was meant to be.


	10. The Monster

"Come on, Hannah! Let's go and explore the castle!" Tiffany said, grabbing my arm and yanking me off of the bed. She pulled me out of the door, down the staircase, and back into the common room, where Jake and the boy were standing together.

"We've been waiting for ages! Come on! Let's go and look around the castle!" Jake said with a mischievous grin, and strode back out of the riddling door, and down the large marble steps, Tiffany, the boy, and I following close behind.

"What time is curfew?" I asked, looking at my watch. "I don't remember William saying anything about it."

"9 I think," Tiffany answered. "Plenty of time to look around. Just try not to get lost."

We had no idea where we were going, but walked back down the corridors that we had previously been in, and managed to find our way back to the moving staircases. There were so many floors, god-knows what secrets lie about the castle.

"Well it's too late to wander about outside," Jake said, looking around at the above and below floors. Perhaps we should start from the bottom and make our way to the top. That way we can visit every floor without forgetting which ones we have been to already."

We agreed that this was a good idea, and rode on the stairs, one at a time, down to the bottom floor, feeling rather sick and looking a bit pale as we jumped off of the last one.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that.." I said, clutching my stomach.

We found yet another corridor, leading to many various classrooms, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and many others, all found on the first floor. Each room was decorated accordingly to its subject; Transfiguration had cages with all kinds of animals in them, Potions was dark and mysterious and cauldrons and books were piled around the room in the corners. I came across one room that a small but noticeable noise was coming from. I looked through the small window in the door, but I couldn't see anything.

"Guys," I said, beckoning them over. "Can you hear that?"

Jake, Tiffany and the boy stopped for a moment and looked about curiously and in confusion.

"A low growling noise? Is that what you can hear?" Jake said, walking over to me. I nodded, and looked at Tiffany and the boy.

"I can hear it too." Said Tiffany, peering into the room.

"So can I," Said the boy. "Perhaps we should check it out."

Almost immediately after he had spoken, Jake had opened the door and was already inside, sneaking around.

"Jake!" I hissed, getting his attention. "We don't know what's in here! Plus, we could easily get expelled for sneaking around someone's room! Come back!"

But Jake just smiled and carried on walking slowly towards a dark brown door at the far end of the room. Tiffany followed him, then the boy. He turned to look at me, standing in the doorway with a worried expression on my face, and gave me a reassuring look before beckoning with his head for me to follow. I sighed and shook my head, before following the trio to the door.

"This really isn't a good idea," I said to Jake as I walked up behind him. "You do know we could get into serious trouble for this?"

Jake shook his head and laughed at my uneasiness. "Don't worry! There's nothing to worry about! We won't get caught! We're just having a look at what is making this noise and then we'll be out before any teachers come. Has anyone got a hairclip? Or something I can use to open this door?"

Tiffany pulled a clip from her ponytail and handed it to Jake, who took it and started to push it into the lock to unlock it. It took around two minutes before we finally heard a click and the door swung open. Jake handed the clip back to Tiffany, and walked into the room, closely followed by Tiffany, then me, and then the boy at the back.

There was no light in the room, it was completely black. We felt all around the walls for a light switch but with no luck. The noise had gotten louder now, and the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand on end.

"Guys, try and find a light switch!" Jake called to us. We felt along the walls, trying to find a switch to get us out of darkness. We ended up bumping into each other before I found the light switch.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, and flicked the switch, turning on the lights in the room. "That's better! Now what's making this n-"

I was interrupted by the growling. It was now behind us and a lot louder. Goosebumps ran up my arm. We all stood, frozen and unable to move. Our breaths were heavy, loud and getting increasingly fast.

"Guys," Jake whimpered. "What is that..?"

"There's something behind us... isn't there?" Tiffany mumbled, on the brink of tears.

All at the same time, we slowly turned around and looked up to find a pair of large and sharp fangs bared in front of my face. Saliva and slobber dripped down onto the floor heavily, and two yellow eyes peered down upon us, the pupils were slits and the sides of the eyes were bloodshot. I couldn't move. I didn't know what to do. All I knew was that the boy grabbed my hand for reassurance and comfort for both of us.

"What. Do. We. Do?" I said through gritted teeth between breaths.

"I suggest we make a run for it. All at once. The door is still open, and there's no way this.. thing.. could make it through the small frame. So we all run on three. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Tiffany said, her voice shaking.

"Ok." The boy said, confidently.

"Yeah.." I managed to squeal out, my voice shaking and hoarse. A gentle squeeze came from the boys hand in reassurance.

"Okay." Jake said. "One... two.. _three!_"

We all made a sprint for the door, the creature crying out in shock as we ran from it. Jake made it out, then Tiffany, and the boy and I both shot through the door before slamming it closed on the monster. It yelped and screamed and clawed behind it as we sank to the floor in fright and shock.

"S-see? I t-told you there was n-nothing to worry about.." Jake tried to joke, and gave a little laugh to lighten the mood.

I got up and walked towards him. "Nothing to worry about?! YOU JUST NEARLY GOT US ALL KILLED! I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO IN THERE, AND WHAT HAPPENS? WE BARELY ESCAPE A MONSTER THAT NEARLY KILLS US ALL! WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING?! YOU ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY THAT WE ARE ALL STILL ALIVE! I NEVER SHOULD HAVE LET YOU GO IN HERE!" I was on the brink of tears. "You nearly got me killed because of your stupidity!"

He got up and put his hands on my shoulders. "Look, Hannah, I'm sorry-"

"-You're sorry? For what? For leading us all in here? For nearly killing us all? For making us follow you in the first place? We should have never agreed to look around the castle with you, and we should have just stayed in the common room like everybody else!" I pushed off his hands and tears started to fall down my face.

Tiffany started to walk out of the room, and turned to us. "I'm going back to the common room. I'll see you later, Hannah. And you." She nodded to the boy who was still holding my hand. "Jake, I'll see you around. I don't want to be a part of your suicidal trips around the school anymore. Hannah's right, we shouldn't have ever agreed to follow you down here." And with that, she left.

"Look guys, I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to have put you guys in danger, and I won't do it again. I've learnt my lesson. I'm sorry." Jake said, looking like he was about to cry himself.

There was a moment of silence between the three of us, before the boy just shook his head at Jake. "Jake, I think you should just go back to the common room. I'll speak to you tomorrow." The boy said, gesturing for him to go.

"B-but-" Jake protested.

"-Just go!" The boy raised his voice, and stared at Jake as he walked out of the room in shame and embarrassment.

It was just me and the boy left in the room, with the faint growling of that monster.

"You okay?" He said, looking me up and down. "You didn't get hurt did you?"

I shook my head and smiled. "No, I didn't, thankfully. A few more seconds in there and we would have been dinner for whatever that thing was."

"Well I'm glad everyone's ok. It was a very close call." He said. "I think Jake feels really bad for what happened tonight. I'll talk to him."

I shook my head. "I'm sure he does, but we all nearly died."

"But we're still alive, thanks to him. You've got to give him some credit. He led us out of there, all alive and unharmed." He said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I looked at him, and shrugged my shoulders. "I guess.. but it still happened. It's hard to forget."

"I know it is, but we're all still here." He said, smiling.

A tear escaped my eye, and he noticed it at once. He rubbed it off of my cheek with his thumb. "Hey, hey.. it's okay. Everything's fine." He said, before pulling me into him, giving me a tight hug. He stroked my hair and my back, comforting me. This was the first time in years that I had felt this kind of comfort from anyone. My mum and dad had just dejected me from their lives, and this was the first kind of affection I had experienced in a while. I smiled and hugged him back, trying not to cry.

He pulled out of the hug and looked at me. I sniffed and smiled a teary smile at him. "I never caught your name when you were sorted into Ravenclaw." I said, looking at him.

"Stanley Cornwell." He replied, smiling. "Yours is..-"

"-Hannah, Hannah Barnes." I finished, smiling.

"Well, Hannah, it's nice to finally be acquainted." He said, looking into my eyes.

I nodded and giggled, embarrassed.

He looked at our hands, which were still entwined, and looked back at me, giving my hand a small squeeze. I returned it, smiling back at him, feeling on top of the world.


End file.
